Process of purifying paraffin e-wax



(No Model.)

J. E. BIOKNELL.

PROCESS OF PURIIYING PARAFFINE WAX. v No. 400,043 Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

V6QJZMMM,

NrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. BICKNELL, OF OIL CITY, PENNS YIQY'ANIA.

PROCESS OF PURIFYING PARAFFENE -WAX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,043, dated. March 26, 1889.

Application filed November 21, 1887. Serial No. 255,690. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN E. BIoKNELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oil City, county of Venango, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Purifying Paraffine and Extracting Oil from Oleaginous Material, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

This invention has for its object the refining and separating of parafline-wax or other oleaginous substances. While the specific object, however, in making this invention was to provide a process for removing from paraffine-scales the oil and soft portions thereof, and therefore in the following description I will set forth the process with reference only to parafiine, yet it will be understood that any other olcaginous material may be substituted for the paraffine and treated in like manner therewith.

The invention has three principal features:

First. The reduction of the crude paraffine to a finely-comminuted condition.

Second. The subjection of the comminutcd paraffineavax to a treatment by a heated liquid, whereby the softer portions of the wax could be separated byand within the volume of the liquid, the softer portion of the wax being liquefied by suitable temperature of the liquid, and by reason of its specific gravity relative to said liquid rising to the surface of the latter, the harder portion of the paraffinewax being maintained within the volume of the liquid and below the stratum of the liquefied softer portions of the wax 'which have arisen to the surface of the liquid. To this end I subject the crude wax to the action of a liquid having temperature substantially equal to or above the liquefying-point of the softer portions of the wax and below the liquefying-point of the harder portions of the wax, and maintaining the unliquefied hard wax below the surface of the liquid, while allowing the liquefied soft portion of the wax to rise to the surface of the liquid, then withdraw the said liquefied soft portion of the wax,

and permanently remove it from the hard portion of the wax.

Third. The subjection of the comminuted wax to a disintegrating process which continually disintegrates and comminutes the wax while it is being subjected to the action of the liquid, so as to keep it in a finely-divided state that the water or other liquid may the more easily come in contact with every particle of the wax.

I may subject the wax 'to the first and second features without using the third, or I may subject it to the second and third features without subjecting it to the first feature of the process; but, in order most economically and quickly to refine the paraffine, I use all the features, as described.

The drawings annexed to this description show one form of apparatus adapted to carry out the principle of this invention, and I will now proceed to describe in detail the mode of operation and the method of carrying out the invention. It will, however, be understood that in doing so I do not restrict my invention to said apparatus or to the detail steps incident to the operation described in connection with said apparatus, inasmuch as the principle of invention is independent of apparatus and relates solely to a process in contradistinction to apparatus. It will also be understood that while I show the apparatus represented in the drawings as my preferred form of apparatus at the present time for carrying out the principle of invention, yet apparatus of an entirely different construction might be devised or employed in substitution for the apparatus shown, provided only the same be adapted to carry out the principle of my invention, as I shall hereinafter state the latter in the summary of the claims at the close of the description.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the preferred form of apparatus that I use in my refining process. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the dotted line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the dotted line of Fig. 2 and in the direction indicated by the arrow.

A tank, A, of suitable size, according to the conditions oi any particular case, is provided at its btn'tom with the steam coil-pipe u, having suitable inlet and outlet passages. The tank is also provided at itslower portion with the inlet and outlet water pipes I) Z), respectively. The upper portion of one side of the tank. is provided with horiztmtalv passage 0, eommun icating, respectively, with tank A an d with the auxiliary tank it. This latter tank is oi? height substaiitially that oi. the main tank and of horiztnital dimensions less than that oi said main tank. The main tank and supplemental tank are located adjacent to one another, the main tank being for use in the separation oi the sotit from the hard wax, while the supplemental tank is for the receipt of the stparated soft. wax, and all. may be drawn therefrom at will. A passage, (l, connects the lower central portion of passage c with the lower adjacent side portion of the tank A. A gate, e, regulates the [low of the liquid through the p age 1; into the tank 13 from the tank A, said gate having vertiti-al movement within a smitable recess, 1", formed in the bottom of passage c intermediate of passage o and tank i). There is an adjusting-serew controlling said gate, so that its top may be iiush with the bottom of the 1 assage r, or may no maintaints'l. at any desired elc ration above said passagc-bottom. Tank 13 is provided with any suitable outlet.

Within the tank A is secured. by braces G the horizontal cylimlrical. tank G, provided. with an opening, g, extending nearly its entire length, said opening being closed by a cover, g, hinged to said tank by hinges g and adjustably secured thereto on the opposite side by clasp g. The lower portion of said tank and its cover 5 are respectively provided with a series of pertorations, 71 71.. Haid perforations are of: such small. diameter as to practically prevent the wax from passing through them. iiston rod J passes through the stul'tingboxes 1', respectively, provided in the sides olftanks A and G. Secured to the extremity of said piston-rod, within the tank (t, is the pif-iIOiI-lletltl J, said piston-head pro vided with sieve-like perlorati ns iv. The upper portion of the tank G is below the level. of the top oi? tank A, so that when the latter is tilled with water or other liquid the tank (1. is entirely sulnncrged.

The pistona'od J is connected with any su it able reciprocating power.

The operation of the process is as follows: The crude paralline-\vax is first ground and thoroughly comminuted until it is reduced to a firmly-divided condition. I prefer, it' possible, that it should be ground or reduced to a powdm', as the more tinely it is divided the more easily, quickly, and ccomnnically it is refined. This comniinuted paral'iine-wax is then placed in the tank (.4, the cover of which isthen securely fastened. The tank. A is filled with water until the tank (-1 is entirely submergei'l. Steam is then turned on into the steam-pipes and the water is heated toa point a little above the melting-point oi the softer portion of the wax and. below the melting point of the harder portion of the wax. The softer portion of the wax as it melts rises by its own buoyancy up thrmigh the perforations in the cover y and to the surl'ace of the water above the tank B, the specific gravity of the wax thus causing the liqueticd portion thereof, unrestrained, to thus atitomatically separate and. withdraw itself from the harder portion of the substance in the tank and rise to the surface oi the water. While the wax being heated by the water and the softer portions being melted, the piston .l is being reciprocated to and. fro within the tank G, and as it is thus reeiproeated it forces every particle of wax through its sieve-like head, and thus continually disintcgrates and maintains said wax in a finely-divided condition. This a highly desirable and importaut step in the process, tor-,as has been said, the more finely the wax ground and the more thoroughly it is put in a divided oondition the more easily and quickly it is acted upon by the water. Every stroke oi the piston baclnvard and :t'orward thoroughly agitates and disintegrates the wax contained in the tank. A further advantage of this eon tinned disintegration is that by thus bringing every particle of wax into contact with the heated water not so much of the hard. wax is melted in the process. The tendency of the wax is to become plastic and sticky if not; kept inmotion; hence the desirability of thus continually connninuting and disintegrat ing it, though itis possible and even practical to omit this d'sintegrating step in the process, but at the loss of time, however. The solftportion of the wax is melted and removed, the tank maybe d rained, and the remaining hard portion of the wax may be removed :lrom the tank. l )uring this process of liquct'zitction and separation the liquid or water removes all foreign matter from the separated wax without other manilnilation or trouble. The coloring-matter contained in the crude wax is removed also. By means ot' the steam-coil a regular temperature can be brought to bear upon the wax, thereby causing its separatiml, while the cost of heating liquid or water is comparatively slight. ]t is um'lerstood, of course, that by heating the water to a higher temperature 'I may remove more oil? the softer portion of the wax and leave the remaining product as much harder as 1 desire. The liquefied soft portion of the wax is thus gathered inv a stratum on thcsurtacc ol'T thewatcr, whereupon an increase of water is admitted through pipe 7) into tank A, said increase in the volume of water raising a stratum ot' separated. liquefied wax, so as to cause the lattm: to overflow through passage 0 into tank. 13. This overflow of melted wax from out oi passage 0 is effected over the top of gate 0, said gate being adjusted in. elevation above the bottom of said passage to prevent the [low of water illltYOUYOl, but to permit of the melted wax passing over said gate. The water in tank A, being heated at the bottom by the steam-coil, rises up through the perforations hin the bottom of tank G, thence through the wax, and out of and through the perforations it in the cover g, and thence through the downward passage 9 to the bottom of the tank again, thus effectinga complete and continuous circulation from the bottom up to the top of tank A and out therefrom. It being apparent that while the heating of the water by the steam-coilcauses the water thus heated to pass in upward movement through the tank and out from the latter, the Water thus passed out from the tank becomes somewhat cold before again entering the tank, said resupplied water being thereupon reheated in the bottom of the tank preparatory to the repetition of the foregoing-described circulation.

The foregoing description and accompanyin g drawings set forth certain detail mechan ical parts in embodiment of my invention. Changes may, however, be made in said parts, provided the principles of construction respectively cited in the following claims are retained and employed.

I therefore particularly point out and claim as my invention 1. A process of purifying or refining a substance having portions of different fusibility, the same consisting in reducing the substance to a finely-divided condition and then subjecting it to the action of a fluid having a temperature substantially equal to or above 3 5 the liquefying-point of the softer portion of said substance and below the liquefying-point of the harder portion of said substance, and withdrawing the liquefied portion from the hard portion, substantially as set forth.

2. A process of purifying or refining a substance-such as paraftine or'other like substance containing portions respectively of dif-- ferent points of fusibi1itythe same consisting in reducing the substance to a finely-di- 45 vided condition and then passing through said substance a fluid having a temperature substantia'lly equal to or above the liquefyingpoint of the softer portion of said substance and belbw the liquefying-point of the harder 5o portion of said substance, and removing the liquefied portion from the solid portion of said substance, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be my invention I have hereunto set my hand 5 5 this 11th day of November, A. D. 1887.

JOHN E. BICKNELL.

Witnesses:

A. F. OooPE, W. S. RHEEM. 

